1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of dryers for clothing and more specifically it relates to a dehydration device for use with various types of outer garments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous dryers have been provided in the prior art that are machines which remove water from clothes by tumbling the clothes in a closed container while providing forced hot air to remove the water. In addition, dryers have been provided that remove the water primarily from the exterior and interior of the garment by also applying forced hot air along the garment surfaces. While these units have been acceptable for that particular purpose, they are not well suited to remove water from the inside of a garment which has been specifically designed to be air and water tight as heretofore described.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a dehydration device that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dehydration device that reduces the time needed to remove the moisture from a particular type of outer garment such as a safety suit, a divers suit, an environmental suit or a garment worn by fire and rescue personnel.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a dehydration device that is compact and lightweight for easy setup, tear down and transportation to various emergency sites.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dehydration device that is easily adjusted to work with various types, shapes and sizes of outer garments.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a dehydration device that is economical in cost to manufacture.
Further objects of the present invention will become apparent as the description herein proceeds.
According to a first general aspect of the present invention a dehydration device includes an enclosure having an air inlet and an air outlet with an air mover located in the enclosure. A support frame is provided located beneath and affixed to the enclosure. A distributor is provided in fluid communication with the air outlet and a plurality of exhaust pipes are in fluid communication with the distributor. The exhaust pipes are arranged to facilitate the dehydration of the inside volume and inside surface of a garment.
According to another general aspect of the present invention, a method of drying an internal surface and volume associated with a garment includes the steps of affixing an enclosure to a frame with an air mover being provided in the enclosure. An air inlet and an air outlet in said enclosure is provided to allow air into and out of the enclosure. A distributor is affixed to the enclosure such that the distributor receives air from the outlet and a plurality of exhaust pipes are in fluid communication with the distributor for the transmission of the air from the distributor to the internal volume of the environmental suit thereby removing a substantial amount of fluid from the garment.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only of a preferred embodiment, and that changes may be made in the specific construction both illustrated and described and still be within the scope of the appended claims.